1. Field of Invention
The field of the currently claimed embodiments of this invention relates to systems and methods of spatially localized magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Long scan time is a major problem for multi-voxel magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and chemical shift imaging (CSI). While model-based MRS reconstruction methods, such as SLIM [Hu X, et al. MRM 1988; 8:314-322], GSLIM [Liang Z P, et al. IEEE TMI 1991; 10:132-137] and SLOOP [von Kienlin M, et al. JMR 1991; 94:268-287] could reduce scan times in theory, their in vivo application remains very limited and focused on suppression of inter-compartment leakage [Dong Z, et al. MRM 2006; 55; 1447-1453; Loffler R, et al. JMR 1998; 134:287-299] using entire CSI datasets. A significant speed advantage from these methods, has, to the best of our knowledge, not been realized in vivo or in humans, and it is unknown whether such speed-ups could be achieved with at least the same accuracy as CSI in practice. There thus remains a need for improved systems and methods of magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging.